LGBTQ+ Terminology

LGTBQ+ Services

Terms

Ally: A person who is not LGBTQ+ but shows support for LGBTQ people and promotes equality.Asexual: Not attracted sexually to either gender. Binary: Mindset that there are only two genders.Cisgender: An individuals whose gender identity matches their birth sex.FTM: A person who was assigned female at birth and who identifies as male, lives as a male, or identifies as masculine.Gender identity: May not align with sex assigned at birth, but is gender that aligns with.Heterosexual: Attracted only to or the other binary (male/female) gender.
Homosexual: Attracted only or almost only to the same gender. Also known as "gay".Intersex: An umbrella term used to describe a wide range of natural bodily variations. In some cases, these traits are visible at birth, and in others, they are not apparent until puberty. Some chromosomal variations of this type may not be physically apparent at all.MTF: A person who was assigned male at birth and who identifies as female, lives as a female, or identifies as feminine.MSM: Men who engage in sexual relations with men regardless of their sexual identity. Pansexual: Attracted to all genders.

Understanding Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Bi: Abbreviation for bisexual.Cis: Abbreviation for cisgender.Lesbian: A woman who is attracted to other women.LGBTQ+: An umbrella term referring collectively to people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and/or queer.Queer: Used by those who identify as outside binary categories (male/female).Questioning: An individual who is in the process of exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.Straight: Often interchanged with heterosexual.Transgender: An individual whose gender identity does not match their birth sex.Transexual: Used sometimes to describe people who use medical treatments to make their body match their gender identity.